


Despite Everything

by Rogue_Swordsmith



Category: Dream SMP - Fandom, Minecraft - Fandom
Genre: All shipping is SFW, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, Canon-Typical Violence, Deity Dream~, Dream SMP characters with magic powers, Epic Battles, F/F, Fantasy, Feedback is my lifeblood, Found Family, Friendship POG, Futuristic, Futuristic Urban Fantasy AU, Gen, M/M, Manipulation, Multiple Protagonists, Multiple Villains - Freeform, No character bashing, Reincarnation, Slow building plot, Tags May Change, This Is Not Going To Go The Way You Think, Updates Daily, Villain Dream!!, Villain Schlatt!, Villain Technoblade, multiple POVs, possible redemption arcs, ~NOT RPF~
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-13
Packaged: 2021-03-15 04:01:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,256
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29927589
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Rogue_Swordsmith/pseuds/Rogue_Swordsmith
Summary: All Dream ever wanted is peace. All he wants is one big, happy family. The imperfections and petty conflicts of people get in the way of his wishes. Newly freed from the void, Dream-- AKA the Lucid Spider-- sets in motion a devious plot to find the Cosmos Heart and remake the universe according to his desires.Power is all that the Chiaroscuro Emperor, Schlatt, knows. Power to kill, power to save, power to flaunt. Upon hearing of the elusive Cosmos Heart, an entity with the power to alter the entire world, Schlatt determines he must take control of it. He must gain the power to force even gods to bow before him.Technoblade considers himself a good fellow. Great, even. He even has a simple goal, and that is to completely and utterly obliterate all forms of oppressive hierarchies. By any means necessary. When he hears of the Cosmos Heart and its supposed power to redesign the fabric of reality, Technoblade leads his team of anarchist mercenaries in a do-or-die mission to achieve his one goal.
Relationships: Captain Puffy/Niki Nihachu (Rainbow Arson), Ranboo & Tubbo & TommyInnit, Technoblade & Philza Minecraft, ~~BROMANCE~~, ~~MURDER~~
Comments: 22
Kudos: 46





	1. Heed The Pounding In Your Chest

**Author's Note:**

> CW: Death, graphic violence, manipulation, threats
> 
> Rainbow Arson is C!Puffy and C!Niki's new duo/ship name (exclusively for the characters, Not the CCs). Yes, I make the rules. No, I'm not accepting criticism. Maybe the twt tag can be bosuntwt ;p
> 
> In case you missed the tags: this work is Not RPF, I do not like RPF, and I will never write it.

Rain patters on the sky bridges forming webs throughout Io's largest city, Kumo Dome. Niki's boots scrape on the ironwood planks as her bridge sways over the icy void. She strides easily across, used to the motion.

Above her, in the black sky unbrightened by the cold yellow speck of the Sun, several figures glide and dance in a clearly staged battle. Niki scoffs, reaching the highrise at the end of the bridge. Two-hundred stories above the ground, her favorite little cafe seems so peaceful, with icy crystals growing over the railings of the balcony. Niki removes her cape and hands it to the host. "Thank you, Jack."

"Anything for you." Jack grins and hangs her cape on a hook. "You change your mind at all? We could really use the publicity."

"I'm not here to talk business." Niki replies, restraining her annoyance. If he were anyone else, she'd give them an earful.

"Alright, Niki. The usual?"

"Yes, thank you. Oh, add a few sprinkles to it, I'm celebrating."

"Oh?" Jack leans across the counter, waggling his brows.

"I got a new apartment that allows pets." Niki smiles as she sits down. It's not a lie, more of an obfuscation.

"Awesome." Jack mixes up her drink and scatters unicorn sprinkles over the whipped cream. "This one's on me."

Niki purses her lips. "I'm still not-"

"I know, I know. I'm just being nice." Jack sets the drink down on her table, then sits down in the opposite chair.

"I'm expecting a date, actually." Niki tosses her hair teasingly.

"Ohh? Who?"

"You wouldn't know her." Niki shoos him out of the seat.

The door's bell chimes and Captain Puffy strides in, her billowing rainbow hair dripping from the rain and her cloak slung uselessly over her arm. Jack smirks at Niki. "You'd be surprised."

"Hey, Jack!" Puffy hops onto the seat Jack vacated and grins at the host. "Get me a bottle of Bloody Vodka."

"Sure thing, Cap'n."

Puffy turns her gorgeous smile on Niki. "Hey."

"Hey." Niki responds dumbly, lost for words. "You're all wet."

Puffy snorts in a vain attempt to restrain her giggles. "Wow, we're going there already?"

"I meant the rain, but if you insist." Niki laughs. "Let me buy you a pastry. The donuts here are good."

Puffy shrugs graciously. "I'll have the salamander crumb one."

"Oh, that is a good one."

"Puffy," Jack calls, "Please tell her to join us!"

Puffy raises an eyebrow at Niki, who blushes and flusters. "Look, Jack, I've told you a thousand times, I will not be your goddamn mascot."

"Mascot??" Puffy laughs brightly. "Jack, you idiot!"

"What??" Jack cries. "It's not my fault, Niki jumped to conclusions and never gave me the chance to explain!!"

"Niki, darling." Puffy steeples her fingers and leans on the table. "You don't have to join anything you don't want to. But, that being said, we're kinda shorthanded without the Spirit of Death on our side."

"What the fuck??" Niki cries, leaping up from her seat. Her heart pounds in her throat; her hands spark with emerald fire. She hastily smothers the flames, stuffing her hands under her arms. "I- I can not be Death, I will not be Death, I don't- I don't want this, why can't you magic bastards leave me alone??" Why today of all days??

Puffy stares at her, taken aback. Jack whistles awkwardly and retreats into the kitchen. "Niki, no, sweetie. You're not Death."

"Damn right I'm not." Niki snaps. "I don't want to play in your goddamn staged battles, I don't want to fight anyone, I just want to be left alone."

Puffy raises her hands in surrender. "I'm not asking you to."

"Good." Niki's hands drop to her side. 

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't realize it was a sore subject." Puffy sighs. "You're not Death. Just the reincarnation of the Spirit of Death."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Niki cries, curious despite it all. "I'm not a Patron, I'm- I'm _barely_ even a Hex, and I don't _want_ any of this."

Puffy gives her a sharp smile. "Oh, Niki. There are so many other powers out there." She gestures for Niki to sit down. Niki obeys. "What do you know about your own power?"

"I- I can heal." Niki raises her hands. Emerald sparks flicker beneath her pale skin. "That's it, though."

"That's green hex stuff, yep." Puffy covers Niki's shaking hands with hers. "You know Patrons, too, yeah?"

"Yes, but I am not one."

"Alright, alright. Spirits are reincarnations of the ancient dragons. Each dragon was a Patron of a different realm of reality. There's six of us right now." Puffy smirks and her eyes alter, mesmerizing Niki with fractals upon fractals of pulsing multicolored flames. "I am Captain Puffy, Spirit of Fire." Her voice crackles with the screams of blazing embers.

As suddenly as the change had come over her, the normal Puffy returns. Niki laughs breathlessly. "That- that was hot."

"Literally, yes, I am extremely hot." Puffy giggles.

"There's six of- of the Spirits?"

"Fire, Ice, Light, Dark, Life, and Death."

"I'm Light!" Jack calls from the kitchen.

"Shut up, Jack, she doesn't care!" Puffy snipes back.

"I'm just saying. She might want to know." Jack grumbles.

"Puffy, I don't want to be involved." Niki stares at the table, at her trembling hands, at the silver lichtenberg scars on her arms. "I've seen what this power does to people. It- it is not a good thing, this _Spirit_ , and I don't want it."

"Alright." Puffy shrugs. "Fair warning, though, if you try to use it without being properly prepared, it will be harder to control."

"I know. I'm not going to use it." Niki sighs, wishing the conversation hadn't turned so dour. "I'm sorry. Can we still have a nice date?"

"Oh, of course." Puffy smiles and changes the subject.

They talk till it's almost curfew. Jack cleans up around them, then pulls a seat up to join in the meandering conversation. Finally, Niki stands up and gives Puffy a shallow bow. "Thank you for the enjoyable date."

Puffy bows back. "Any time, sweetie. I had fun."

Outside, the rain has cleared and the clouds have parted to reveal Jupiter. The planet's glow bathes the city in orange light. Niki smiles up at the hidden stars. When she concentrates, she can feel them out there, massive gravitational wells of plasma. When she concentrates, it almost seems as though she is a star herself, blazing and powerful and implacable.

A spark of terror ends the moment; her hands clench and she strides across the bridge, eyes welling with angry tears. She can't even have the stars. Not even today, the anniversary of her death.

The day Niki died started off like any other day. At the time, she hadn't learned to control her healing yet. When the errant lightning spell hit her, her magic reacted as a belated reflex. She was physically dead for a whole ten seconds. Ten seconds too many.

The officials didn't investigate, but Niki knew the spell was from the staged battle nearby. She tried to sue the corporations who'd hired the Hexes, but nobody would take the case, claiming it was a lost cause.

Getting more pissed the more she thinks back on it, Niki shoots a glare at the current staged fight on the next highrise over. The idiots just shoot off spells and don't even care who or what they hit, protected by the trillionaires funding them.

One of the fighters, a cyan Hex, blinks onto the bridge, making it sway and rock. Niki grips the railing. "Fuck you!"

He barely even glances at her before activating his jetpack to leap back into the air. A fire spell blasts past, narrowly missing the bridge.

Niki hastily strides for the end of the bridge. She's just past the middle when the bridge tilts sideways, then swings wildly. Niki grips the railing, cursing colorfully. Overhead, laughter mocks her.

She lets go to flip off the fighters. A fire spell slams into the bridge and knocks her into the abyss.

Niki screams, flailing as wind whips past her. Through the blinding haze of terror, she gathers enough wits to preemptively activate the only spell she knows. Emerald fire consumes her body as she slams into the ground, over two hundred feet below the bridge.

* * *

_Hm. Niki? That's a nice name. I'm [redacted]._

_Huh. You're not dead, are you? That's good. If you were dead, you'd be rather less useful._

_Niki, you don't want to die again, do you?_

_Nobody wants to die, least of all more than once._

_I have a deal for you._

_..._

_That was fast. I haven't even told you what it is yet._

_Hm. Okay. You want revenge, that's easy enough. Just heal me and I'll give you your revenge._

_Ha..._

_....Hahaha...._

_You idiot. You really did it. You actually freed me! Heh, I guess you can have a reward._

_I'll let you rest in peace. There. Don't get in my way or I will make your eternity very painful._

_It was so nice to meet again, Spirit of Death..._

* * *

"Niki!!" Puffy's distraught cry shatters through the haze of drowsy distance.

Niki groans and tries to open her eyes. She feels weightless, disconnected. Her eyes remain stubbornly closed, like she's still dreaming. Magic crackles in her body, desperately working to mitigate the damage and knit her together.

A spark of foreign magic trickles into her hand. Niki lashes out, snatching the tendril and yanking it away. A furious yell frees itself from her lungs.

"Wait, sweetie, it's okay!" Puffy blazes in Niki's awareness, a form of flames and crackling lightning. Terrifyingly, hypnotically gorgeous.

"Are- are you a star?" She opens her eyes and sees Puffy kneeling over her, cutting a stark shadow from Jupiter so far above.

Puffy hiccups, wiping away her tears. "Niki, I saw you fall and I thought- oh, gods, I thought you were dead!"

"I was." Niki tries to reassure her, but this only makes Puffy start to cry again. "Puffy, I'm not dead, it's okay!"

"Are you sure? Are you a ghost?"

"No, I am not a ghost." Niki sits up with effort and reaches for Puffy's hand. "See? I'm alive."

Puffy yanks her into a fierce, warm hug. "Don't die ever again." She hisses. "I don't like it."

Niki laughs brightly, still recovering from the shock of her final few moments. "I will try."

Puffy continues to embrace her. "We've only known each other for like two weeks, but if anything happened to you, I'd probably have a villain arc."

Niki extricates herself from the embrace. Puffy looks absolutely magical, covered in grime, tear stains down her cheeks, her eyes and nose puffy from crying. "Thank you for coming."

Puffy sniffles. "What else would I have done?? You fell from a goddamn bridge, nobody would have found your body for ages!"

"I think most people would have left me." Niki admits bitterly, recalling her first death.

"Fuck that, you're my friend." Puffy cries. "Let's get you home."

Niki rests her head on Puffy's shoulder as she's picked up. "This doesn't mean I'm joining your team."

"I never said anything about that, sweetie."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Muahaha, I'm back, bitches! I probably won't have the same schedule as last time, this story will probably be updated more like once every two or three days instead of every day. I'm also working on a one-shot WWII Mechanized Infantry AU (with the invaluable help of River_KingK) which is gonna be pretty cool, I think. 
> 
> Please, if you enjoyed this, leave a kudos and drop some yummy feedback in the comment section! :3 thanks for reading, y'all, and I hope to not disappoint ;p
> 
> (bloody vodka is some fake drink I made up hypothetically consisting of cherry wine, vodka, and cinnamon)


	2. Spoil No Favors

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: violence, imprisonment, coercion, inhumane treatment

"You see, Quackity, the idea is to _not get caught_." Technoblade whets his battle axe with firm, lazy strokes as he leans on a blackstone pillar.

Quackity laughs nervously and reaches for his sword. "I, uh, didn't see you there, Techno." His six pairs of wings flutter and ruffle, barely hidden behind his crude glamour.

"K."

"You're not going to stop me." Quackity gathers his courage-- a contradiction considering he's literally the Angel of Fear-- and steps forward, sword ready.

Technoblade, Angel of Wrath, strikes a terrifying figure as he steps into the glow of Jupiter shining through the windows. "You sure?" The gold-sheathed tusks glint as a grin crosses Techno's bristly muzzle. His two massive wings rustle behind his back, flaring menacingly.

Quackity gulps and points a furious finger at Techno. "You- you fucking took the last biscuit, but I won't let you get away with it, Technoblade, I will have my revenge!"

Technoblade splutters, then laughs. "That's the best you can come up with??"

"I'm under pressure, here!" Quackity blushes angrily. "Just let me beat you already!"

"High hopes for a man who just claimed revenge for a biscuit." Technoblade chuckles. "But alright, let's see if you've improved since the last time I handed your ass to you."

Quackity drops his glamour. Technoblade flinches back from the blazing light of Quackity's multi-winged amorphousness. "Ha!" Quackity slams his sword down at Technoblade's arm.

Techno's axe deflects the sword and his fist slams into Quackity, knocking the Angel against the wall. Quackity heaves instinctively to regain his breath, despite not needing air. Techno roars and leaps at him with his axe upraised.

Yelping, Quackity rolls out of the way. The axe slams into the floor, and Techno rips it out before stalking once more for Quackity. "The fuck, man, are you trying to kill me??"

"Treat every fight as a life-or-death situation." Technoblade intones.

Quackity reaches for his sword, which leaps into his hand. He deflects Techno's next swing, then ducks under the axe and slashes for Techno's ribs. "Eat shit, motherfucker!"

Techno doesn't even falter as the sword slices through his shirt, doesn't even flinch as blood wells from the gash. Roaring, he knocks Quackity's sword from his hands and lashes the axe across his form.

"Stop, stop, haha, stop, wait!" Quackity cowers, retreating behind his glamour, wincing as his form regenerates the deep wound.

Technoblade slips the axe into the sheathe by his side and raises his clawed hands to show he's unarmed. He shifts down to his smaller, less intimidating form. "You fool." He chuckles with light mockery. "Train for another hundred years, then we'll see."

"You damn bastard, you never let me win."

"Let you win?? Why would I do that??" Technoblade guffaws. "Let you win. Wilbur, you hearing this?"

Wilbur emerges from the ceiling. The Angel of Deceit's figure never settles on one form, glittering and glitching as he morphs continuously. "I heard." He says, grinning down at Quackity. "I bet I could beat you, Technoblade."

"Really? Wanna test that?" Technoblade reaches for his axe, baring his teeth with excitement for battle.

"Nah, not right now. I'm still asleep." Wilbur drops to the floor.

"Hey, boys." Philza's voice filters through the sparring room.

"Philza!" Technoblade cries joyfully, bounding to give the old man a big hug.

"I heard that, you little shit." Philza snaps. "I'm not fucking old."

Quackity stomps his foot, laughing nervously. "I didn't think anything, you didn't hear anything, fuck, I'm sorry!"

"You better be."

"What's up, Philza?" Wilbur grins eerily. His grins always manage to be eery somehow, even in the more attractive forms he occasionally wears.

"I just got a message. Someone's got a new job for the _Pax Triumvirs_."

"Pog~," Technoblade hums.

"What is it?" Quackity steps forward, taking the proffered scroll from Philza. He looks into the holographic screen. "The Lucid Spider? Who the fuck is he??"

"Dunno. But the job seems fun enough. Techno, you'll like this one."

"Oh? Oh?" Technoblade grunts, doing a little shuffly dance of excitement. "Are we blowing up another government?"

"Seems like." Philza takes his scroll back from Quackity. "This Chiaroscuro Emperor has been gettin' a little too cozy, anyway. It's about time we stirred up some bees in his bonnet."

"Who the fuck is the Lucid Spider, though??" Quackity cries. "Can we trust him to pay us?? How much are we getting paid, anyway?"

"Quackity, money is merely material, while destruction of enforced hierarchies is spiritual." Technoblade hums. Wilbur tries to fistbump him, but his hands turn into lobster claws and Techno refuses to notice, so Wilbur sags, feigning dejection.

Quackity sneers. "That's bullshit, Techno-" The chrysaor reaches for his axe. "Ahaha, I'm joking, I'm joking, please don't punt me!"

Technoblade keeps one hand rested on his axe just to spite Quackity. "Phil, he's got a point. Who is this Lucid Spider fellow?"

"I dunno, mate. But he's paid half a billion up front, an' promised the rest when the job's done, so I think we're all cool."

"Alright, alright. That sound good to you, Quackity?" Technoblade cocks his head, his ears pricking hopefully. "You're the money-guy."

"You shoulda told him a trillion up front, and two trillion when the job's done. One fucking _billion_ is pauper-speak." Quackity scoffs. "We need supplies and shit for the coup, we can't just summon food and allies out of thin air."

"True, true. Philza?" Technoblade only ever yields to Quackity's expertise when money matters are concerned. In all other fields, he or Philza takes the lead. Quackity enjoys being the technical treasurer of the _Pax Triumvirs_ , but he wishes he had slightly more control over the missions they went on.

"Eh, I'll let'im know." Philza shrugs, then winks at Quackity. "Beat Techno once and maybe we'll talk about letting you lead a mission, kid." His forest-green cape billows behind him as he spins to leave the sparring room.

Quackity laughs, preemptively nervous, and backs into a pillar. "Technoblade, don't get the wrong fucking idea, man."

"K." Techno's eyes gleam with amusement. "You want to try?"

"I could beat you with my eyes closed." Quackity scoffs. "I don't need to try, I already know I could, I- I just want to spare your dignity!"

Techno keeps giving him that damn sadistically amused look. "K."

"I'll fight you, Quackity." Wilbur pipes up, still grinning. "I don't have any dignity to spare."

"Nah, I'm actually really fucking tired right now, so maybe later, ahaha, _or never, seeya losers_!" Quackity hastily camouflages and flees from the sparring room.

He's still not used to this, even after three years. He's not used to sharing a literal underground mansion with literal terrorists, much less being dragged into commiting acts of minor terrorism himself. He's not accustomed to the casual violence, the utter apathy towards other lives, the reckless attitude towards death.

He plops down on a beanbag in his room and stares at his shaking hands. "If I had a choice," He wonders aloud. If he had been given a choice, would he have taken the cleaner, less bloody route?

But the gods don't allow their Angels to choose. _Theirs is not to question why, theirs is but to do and die._

* * *

Ponk paces restlessly, fire flickering in his eyes and hands. The Patron of Dragons despises the boredom of captivity. From her corner, the Patron of Phoenixes-- Hannah Rose-- watches him, cold tears dripping down the steel muzzle over her jaws. The two captives have only each other. The passage of time is lost in the silence.

Rose raises her head as the massive door outside their cell slides open with the blaring of an alarm. She glowers silently at the Scythes, who enter before the Chiaroscuro Emperor.

"Well!" Emperor Schlatt claps his hands together cheerfully. "Well, well, well." The forcefield is all that stands between the prisoners and their captor.

"Fuck you, man." Ponk snarls. "Let us go."

"Hm, lemme think about that. How about no." Schlatt shrugs, grinning. "You little fucks think you can cross me, eh? Around here, my word is law."

The three Scythes step forward in unison. Schlatt leans against the wall. "You ready to talk nicely, Rose, or do we need to keep you silenced?"

Rose scowls at him. Her hands are chained to the wall, so she can't even respond with a crude gesture. Ponk kicks the forcefield, then yelps as it disappears. He backs away from the Scythes stalking towards him.

Scythe Ranboo approaches Rose. His green eye narrows, hard and cold, the pupil constricted to a mere slit. The red cybernetic implant of his other eye whirls and spins in its socket, trying to see everything at once. The black and white metal exo-jaws keep his mouth clamped shut. Rose almost feels bad for the Scythes. They're not allowed to speak either, muzzled like dangerous dogs, like herself.

Ranboo removes Rose's muzzle and she works her sore jaws. "Thank you." She murmurs. If she can get even one of the Scythes to sympathize with her, she and Ponk may have a fighting chance of escape. Ranboo replies with the slightest of nods, then retreats back to Schlatt.

In the meantime, Scythes Tubbo and Tommy have cornered Ponk as Schlatt interrogates him. "I don't know what you mean!" Ponk cries, cowering. "I don't know what that is!"

Schlatt turns to Rose. "Hey, bitch, you want to help your buddy out?"

"I'll tell you fuck-all." Rose snarls.

"Heh, okay. Guess I have no use for either of you, then. Tubbo?" Schlatt turns to his Scythes. Tubbo removes two painfully familiar phylacteries from his suit pocket, handing them both to Schlatt.

"No!" Ponk cries. "You can't- please don't, man, I really honestly don't know what you want!"

"I want the Cosmos Heart!" Schlatt bellows. "And I'm going to get it!"

"You motherfuckers don't know what you're playing with!" Ponk snarls right back. At a gesture from Schlatt, Tommy slams Ponk into the wall.

"Hannah Rose?" Schlatt turns to Rose. Ranboo stalks towards her. "Sing for us, birdie, or your little fuckbuddy here dies first." Schlatt dangles Ponk's phylactery on his finger.

Several colorful curses leap to Rose's tongue, but she restrains herself, trying to meet the predicament with a clear head. "I'll tell you." She growls. "If you give those back and free us."

"What, do I look like a cruel person to you?" Schlatt laughs. "Tell me and I'll do you one better! I'll hire both of you!"

Rose shoots Ponk a warning glance. He can't continue to defy Schlatt, or they'll both die. She answers, "Fine. The Cosmos Heart can be found in the Unity of the Dragons."

Schlatt laughs. "What's that supposed to even fucking mean?"

"The six Spirits. Find them, unify them, and their powers combined will form what you desire."

"Alright. I'm a man of my word. Ranboo, escort Hannah Rose to the Butterfly suite."

"Let Ponk go, too." Rose demands.

"Sweetie, I don't have any reason to let either of you go. I could kill you both and not lose anything, right now. But I'm being nice, here."

"Please." Tears well in Rose's eyes as her lip trembles and her breath catches on feigned sobs. "I can't lose him, too."

"Aww, c'mon, sweetheart. Alright, alright, fine, don't cry, he can share the suite with you. But I'm keeping these." Schlatt hands one phylactery to Ranboo, and the other to Tommy.

"Thank you," Rose keeps up the act, sobbing almost for real out of relief.

Ranboo leads Ponk and Rose through the vast space-castle in silence. Ponk is unusually quiet, glaring down at his grimy boots as he stomps on the clean tiles. Rose stares out of the portal windows they pass, watching the stars.

"Now I have three souls I can't lose." Ranboo mutters. Rose glances up at him, noting that the exo-jaw has loosened its hold to allow him speech. His eyes drop to her forehead, avoiding her eyes as he always has, and he smiles weakly. "Nevermind."

"Can I have mine, please?" Rose dares to ask.

"I- I can't, Schlatt would be so furious if I did, I'm sorry." Ranboo shakes his head hastily. "I'm supposed to obey him."

Rose gives him a pitying smile. "Please keep my soul safe, then."

"I'll do my best." Ranboo replies. He stops by a hatch and taps the ID pad with a finger. "Here you go. Butterfly Suite."

The hatch flowers open to a spartan set of rooms. Rose enters the cold space and sighs, longing for her tapestries and carpets. "Can I decorate it?"

"Uh, you can ask Schlatt, or whoever he puts in charge of you guys." Ranboo deflects nervously.

Rose nods to him. "Thank you, Ranboo."

"Oh. I- oh. Please don't thank me." Ranboo backs out of the room. "Someone will come with food later."

"Thank you." She repeats with an innocent smile. Ranboo retreats. The hatch closes and locks behind him. Her smile falls into bitter hatred. "Damn them!" She snarls and kicks the wall. "Damn them all to the pits of Tartarus!!"

Ponk drops onto the only seating present, a wooden bench. "Why'd you tell them?" He sounds lost, broken.

"I couldn't let you die, Ponk! I can't fucking live with that, not even for a few moments!!" Rose paces the main room, then inspects the offshoots. Two bedrooms, a bathroom with a luxuriously deep tub, and a kitchen. Not bad, and certainly a step up from the cell. But they're still trapped here.

Hannah Rose hates being trapped.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I lied. The schedule is probably going to be once a day. Possibly more.
> 
> Y'all, I live for feedback of any kind, just, like, discussions, questions, whatever you can come up with, it doesn't even matter. I always try to answer every comment, too ;p It doesn't even matter if it's not praise. Thanks, loves!


	3. With Pleasures And Delights, Color Your Eyes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: slight violence

Niki arrives home to her apartment after a harrowing day of working in a field where all her male coworkers talk over her constantly, barely notice her when she offers ideas, and then promptly take credit for said ideas. Sometimes she hates men as a whole concept.

She collapses onto her favorite beanbag and flicks on a show. Puffy sings in the shower, oblivious to Niki's arrival. Smiling, Niki hums along and relaxes to the tune.

Puffy emerges from the bathroom dripping wet and covered in a towel. She waves to Niki and retreats to the bedroom to get clothes on. "I ordered takeout, there should be some left on the table!"

"Thanks, babe, you're amazing." Niki laughs and gets up, going to the kitchen.

Puffy's scroll lays innocuously on the table, open and blinking with seventy new messages. Niki avoids looking at it, not wanting to invade her girlfriend's privacy, and picks up a plate of pizza. "Puffy, you're pretty popular today!"

"Oh? Can you read them real quick and tell me what they say?"

Niki blushes. "Sure." She picks up the scroll awkwardly and taps through the apps to get to the messages. "Uh, it's all your superhero shit, Puffy, I don't know what any of this means."

"Really? I told them to call the other one if they need me... oh, it's dead again, dammit." Puffy storms to the kitchen with lightning in her smile. "Thanks, Niki, I'll take it." She skims through the pile of increasingly desperate calls for help. "Ugh, I'm sorry, babe, I have to go. Sam got in trouble with the law again. Eret's good, but he's no lawyer."

"Don't you have a legal representative?"

"Niki, I've told you, we're not backed by anybody. We're on our own. The officials see us as vigilantes, and yeah, that's kinda what we are."

The fact finally sinks in. "Ohhh!" Niki laughs with relief. "So your battles aren't staged?"

"No, babe. Real battles." Puffy grabs a slice of pizza. "I gotta go bail Sam out again, sorry."

"Let me come with." Niki decides. "I won't help you fight, but I'm a paralegal. I can help you with the officials."

"Really?" Puffy stares at her with stars in her eyes. "You'd do that for us?"

"For you, yes." Niki says firmly.

"Thank you, you will not regret this." Puffy stuffs the pizza in her mouth and grabs Niki's free hand.

Down at the city's holding facilities, Niki strides straight to the front desk. "I'm here to legally represent Awesamdude." She slams down her identification. "And this is Sam's employer, Puffy."

The bastard in a suit behind the desk gives Niki a bored, dismissive glance. "No visitors allowed." He drones. His nametag marks him as Sapnap.

"Sam has a right to legal counsel. I am here to provide that." Niki snaps. "Let us see him."

"What are you two, his sisters?" Sapnap laughs. "Run along. You'll see him again in five years or so."

Niki smiles sweetly at the guard, hiding her anger. Sam hasn't been convicted of anything yet, but the officials can legally postpone the trial and keep him captive for up to five years. "You wouldn't want to piss off the Nemesis corporate heads, would you?"

"Nemesis?? Haven't heard of'em." He shrugs. "You got anything to back that up?"

"Puffy?" Niki gestures her girlfriend forward with the bribe. "Sir Sapnap, we'd like to see our employee and make sure he hasn't been harmed. We at Nemesis take utmost pride in our marketing team."

"Oh?" Sapnap leans forward as Puffy transfers several thousand bullion credits to his account. "Ohh. That's an admirable missions statement, ladies. I'll see what we can do."

"We are going to visit Sam, now."

"Yep, he's back there." Sapnap waves them along. "I'll send the code to unlock his cell, but I'll need a bit more, uh, compensation for the paperwork to release him."

"Of course. We will take care of that in a few days. He could use a bit of discipline for allowing himself to be caught in the first place." Niki shushes Puffy's shocked little protest. "Good day, Sapnap."

Leading Puffy back towards the holding cells, Niki waits to speak again until she's out of ear-shot. "I'm sorry, Puffy, but we had to make it seem as though he's just an errant employee."

"It's fine, I was just startled. You're so cold in your business mode." Puffy laughs lightly.

Niki blushes. "I have to be, or nobody will take me seriously."

Puffy bumps her shoulder. "I take you seriously."

"You do. Thanks, babe." Niki bumps Puffy back.

Puffy gasps and rushes to one of the cells. "Sam!!" She cries. "What the hell did they do to you??"

The man in the cell smiles weakly, his lips and cheeks bruised, his clothes torn and muddy with blood and grime. "Hey, Puffy." He coughs. "I got in trouble."

"I see that, but how??"

"I shouldn't have gone after them alone." Sam groans and struggles to sit up. "I thought I could take them, but they were too strong, Puffy, they were too strong for me."

"Who??" Puffy snarls, vengeful fire blazing in her eyes.

" _Pax Triumvirs_."

"Damn Angels." Puffy growls. "How dare they?? I oughta whoop their asses!"

"It's fair, Puffy, I attacked them first." Sam laughs haltingly.

"They didn't have to beat you up so badly!!" Puffy cries. "Now we have to hire a healer!"

"I'm right here, Puffy." Niki crosses her arms.

"You said you didn't want to get involved. Let me respect that, babe."

"I am already involved. I just invented an entire corporation for you." Shrugging, Niki opens the cell. "Let me do this."

"Darn, does this mean I have to actually pay my team now?" Puffy laughs.

"Probably, yes." Niki kneels by Sam and places her hands over his chest. "This will hurt a lot."

She activates her magic and pours the healing fire out into his body. Sam gasps, gritting his teeth to hold back a yell. His head lolls back as he faints, but his wounds are all healed.

Niki rises and leaves the cell. Puffy stares at Sam's prone body, tears welling in her eyes. "Is he okay?"

"He'll be fine when he wakes up." Niki responds. "Let him sleep for now. Healing takes a lot of energy."

"Are you good?" Puffy turns to Niki. "You aren't going to collapse too, are you?"

"No, I'm good." Niki smiles reassuringly. "Just thirsty."

"Can I buy you a drink?" She says it like she's trying to flirt, but she's too worried to commit to a teasing tone.

"Sure." Niki takes Puffy's hand and leads her out of the facility, waving to Sapnap on the way out.

In a small indie bar, Niki and Puffy sit together in a corner booth. Puffy sighs over her bloody vodka. "Sam should know better than to mess with Angels."

"Is he a Spirit too?"

"Spirit of Dark, yeah. His boyfriend disappeared a year ago, and he's been recklessly hunting for him ever since. I don't know what I can do to keep him safe." Puffy takes a gulp of her drink.

"Who else do you work with?"

"Hmm. There's Jack, Spirit of Light. Oh yeah, he told you already. You just met Sam. Then there's Eret, who's Ice, and Foolish, who's Life." Puffy grins and shrugs. "And then there's me, the hot one."

"What are Angels?"

"They're like Patrons. You know how Patrons are aligned with a type of creature or being, yeah? Angels are aligned with a concept or ideal, and they're each chosen by a god, which gives them extra power. The one downside is they're always in their fae forms."

Niki stares at Puffy, slightly confused by some of the words coming from her girlfriend's mouth. "Gods aren't real." She finally manages to giggle.

"Niki, where the hell do you think our magic comes from?? Thin air??" Puffy cries. "Gods are probably the realest thing about this crazy world we're living in."

"Okay, okay. But what's a fae form?" Niki raises her hands with a placating smile.

"All us magic folk can transform to use more of our power." Puffy explains. "It usually takes a lot of focus and willpower to stay in your fae form for very long, so nobody ever does it for staged battles, but most of us Spirits can shift easily on command."

"Why would staying in your fae form be a downside, then?"

Puffy laughs. "Most Angels' forms are absolutely terrifying, Niki, unless they're under a glamour. None of us can take one Angel alone, much less three like Sam tried to do!"

"Huh. How'd they become Angels?"

"Generally? They break." Puffy spins her cup in her hand, then gulps it down. "They break, they die, a god chooses them, and voila, new Angel. Then they owe the god their life, so they're bound to serve. Probably _some_ Angels pledge voluntarily, but most are broken and pieced back together. Like kintsugi."

"Oh. That does not sound pleasant."

"I mean, that's life, y'know." Puffy takes another fatalistic swig."Us Spirits, we've at least got a choice to fight or not." 

* * *

Sapnap looks up as someone enters the holding facility past visitation hours. "Hey, you're not supposed- agh-" He chokes as an unseen power slams him against the wall.

"Where is Awesamdude?" The Lucid Spider's mandibles click and chirrup as the low, mockingly gentle voice permeates the air with menace.

"In- in cell eight!" Sapnap gasps. "Sir, please!"

"You never came for me."

"I couldn't, I couldn't find you, I'm sorry!" Sapnap pleads. The Lucid Spider drops him. He rubs his throat, gulping. "My pledge never expired, sir. I live to serve you."

"Where are the others?"

"We lost- we lost Quackity. Bad turned against us. But George and Karl are still loyal to you, sir."

The Lucid Spider shifts down to a humanoid form, his holographic vectors of neon green containing the death-white Wurm inside. His camo-shields activate to hide the painful neon behind drab black armor. "Take me to Sam."

"Yes, sir." Sapnap hastily goes back to the cells, trembling with confusion and terror of his lord's sudden return to life. He glances back fearfully. 

"What?" The Lucid Spider sounds almost amused.

"What do I call you now, sir?"

"Hm. You can call me Dream."

Sam glares at Sapnap and Dream as they approach. "You." He growls.

"Me." Dream laughs. "Hello, Sam. I'm going to give you one last chance, old friend. Are you going to be smart like Sapnap here, or should I kill you last, after I rip your precious team to shreds?"

Sam drops his head meekly. "I'm yours to command, my lord."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> The list of Spirits:  
> Niki - Death  
> Puffy - Fire  
> Jack - Light  
> Foolish - Life  
> Eret - Ice  
> Awesamdude - Dark
> 
> I figured I'd give the less appreciated characters a spotlight with this fic ;p the popular faves will still be very present, but they're mostly villains, as you might have noticed. 
> 
> Also, I really really wish I was good at drawing art, because I have snazzy designs for each and every character, and they'd look so killer XD


	4. The Night Blooms Cold

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Violence

On the eve of Puffy's birthday, Niki finds herself cuddled with her girlfriend on a beanbag sofa as Jack and Puffy's three other friends laugh and banter around her. She reaches for the cookies to dip in her chocolate milk. Puffy gulps down her own favorite drink, her ears already flushed red with tipsiness.

Jack and Sam play a card game, taking shots every time they lose a round. The two other teammates Niki just met today, Foolish and Eret, dance around in the kitchen as they cook up dinner.

Niki grabs a handful of popcorn and chews it thoughtfully. The others haven't pressured her to fight with them yet, but she's ready for the inevitable disappointment. She watches the card game, trying to keep her mind off of darker musings.

Eret strides out into the living room, their bi-pride-flag cape swooshing behind them. "Dinner is ready, Captain."

Captain Puffy grins and wobbles to her feet. "To the kitchen!" She crows.

Jack groans good-naturedly. "Man, I was just about to win!"

"No, you weren't." Sam retorts, shoving Jack's shoulder playfully.

Niki follows Puffy to the kitchen, where Foolish has set up the dinner table with paper plates and plastic cups. "Thanks, Effy, my son." Puffy slurs her consonants slightly.

Foolish smiles and waves a bashful hand. "No problem, Papa."

Sam sits down beside Niki. She slouches in her seat uncomfortably as he smiles at her. He's been waffling for weeks between either unsubtly avoiding her and being overtly friendly. If she didn't already know that he's very monogamously in love with some other dude, she'd think he's crushing on her. But that can't be it, so Niki is confused in regards to his possible motives.

Eret serves everyone heaping piles of the noodles and stirfry. "Truly, a queen among humanity." Puffy giggles as she stuffs food in her mouth.

Foolish laughs at Jack, who's formed a mustache out of his noodles. The banter is so normal, the scene so mundane, it brings an ache to Niki's heart.

The heavy knock on the door shatters the illusion.

Niki rises to answer, but the door swings open before she can peek out the peephole. "Why, hello." A gruff voice intones, two glittering eyes pinning Niki in place. "Mind if I come in?"

"Who are you?" Niki crosses her arms, blocking the way of the shadow.

"You may know me as Technoblade." The massive form ducks through the door and into the light, shedding the boiling shadows. Niki gasps and flinches back from the menacing figure.

Technoblade adjusts the glasses resting on his muzzle, scratches his bristly neck, and widens his amused grin. Behind Niki, her friends have all stood up, tensing for battle. "Relax." Technoblade admonishes lightly, raising his claws. "I'm not here to kill any of you this time."

"This time??"

Technoblade laughs awkwardly. "Aha, don't let this scare you or anything, but I'm under oath to not harm any of you tonight."

"What do you want??" Puffy snarls, yanking Niki behind herself protectively.

"We would like you to join our anti-emperor coup d'etat as allies." His tusks glint as he bends his head to stare at them through his glasses. "Sam, you smell terrible."

"Ha- what??" Sam clenches his fists. "Wanna say that again, big guy??"

"Yeah, actually. You stink of guilt and lies." Technoblade shrugs. "Hey, that's none of my business though if y'all wanna associate with a traitor."

"Out." Puffy growls, glaring up at Techno. "Get out."

"Wait, wait, haha, I kinda have to secure this alliance. C'mon, Captain, what do you say?"

"Fuck you." Puffy flips him off. "Leave."

Technoblade shrugs. "K. Don't say I didn't warn you." He ducks out of the door again, once more shrouded in shadow. 

Puffy slams the door after him. "What the hell was that about?? How dare he come in here to, to try to tear us apart!"

Niki steps back as Foolish and Jack join in Puffy's rage. She turns and meets Sam's eyes. He stares at her with broken desperation apparent in the welling tears. Eret offers Sam their hand. "You good, man?"

Sam flinches. "I- I'm so sorry."

The room goes unnaturally silent. Puffy breaks the quiet tension with a furious shriek, throwing up her arms and storming to the beanbag. She throws herself into the poof and muffles an angry scream.

"What do you mean, Sam??" Foolish cries. "What are you sorry for, you've done nothing!! Right??"

Sam drops his eyes with a heavy sigh. "I have prior loyalties that- I thought I wouldn't encounter him again, okay? I thought- I thought he was gone for good. But he's back. And I can't betray him again, or- or he'll kill all of you, and I can't let that happen!"

Jack pats Sam's shoulder. "Hey, look, at least you had good motives."

Niki leaves Jack and Eret to comfort Sam, and approaches Puffy, who kicks her feet on the floor, still making noises like a pissed off tea kettle. "Are you okay?"

"No, I'm not okay!" Puffy snaps, going miserably limp in the poofy beanbag. "I can't even protect my own team." Tears well in her eyes. "I can't even protect my own fucking team!! Why the fuck did that goddamn bastard _Technoblade_ notice before I did??"

"I, I think he's still out on the balcony, Puffy." Niki hisses upon glancing out the window.

"Damn him, of course he is." Puffy grumbles. "Please deal with him for me?"

"Of course, babe." Niki impishly plants a kiss on Puffy's wrist, then leaps up.

Upon opening the door, she scowls at the lurking Technoblade. "Fifty thousand a day."

"Heh? That's a rather high price, what about-"

"This is not a negotiation." Niki smiles sweetly. "It's an ultimatum. We will be your allies in this coup if you pay _each_ of us fifty thousand bullion credits a day."

Technoblade huffs heavily. " _Don't punt anyone_ , they said. _Just barter, it'll be easy_ , they said... Damn Wilbur, he should've been here instead."

"Take it or leave it."

"Fine, I suppose that deal is okay, I guess." Technoblade grumbles. "We'll contact you when we want your assistance."

"Deal." Niki slams the door closed on him once more.

Puffy giggles hysterically as Niki sits down beside her. "Niki, I can't believe you just extorted the _Pax Triumvirs_!"

"Wait, what??" Niki shrieks furiously, leaping to her feet. "The _what_?? Didn't they beat up Sam??"

"Yes, but- Niki, you good, babe?"

Niki glares venomously at the window. "I am going to extort _so much more_ when those bastards try to contact us again."

Puffy guffaws. Niki glances back at her with a fond smile. In the kitchen, Foolish, Eret, and Jack try to comfort Sam with ideas on how to free him from whatever entity that's been threatening him.

Nothing about this is normal, anymore. But Niki finds she doesn't mind so much.

* * *

Cloaked in the night, Badboyhalo trails Technoblade back to his base. The foolish Angel walks confidently, unaware of his stalker. Bad waits as Technoblade turns a corner. He sneaks around after a moment.

But Techno has disappeared. Bad huffs, annoyed that he has to use his meager strength to track the Angel. This was supposed to be a quick, easy mission. He closes his eyes and lets the darkness seep through him.

Technoblade's form is a mere whisper tickling Bad's senses. Right behind him. Bad ducks; the blade of an axe whistles over his head. His daggers leap into his hands and he slashes for the Angel's arms. Feathers rustle, Bad's only warning before a heavy wing bowls him over.

"Rude." Technoblade places a foot on Bad's chest, slowly increasing the pressure as Bad struggles to gasp for air. "Why are you followin' me?"

"I, I was just, just passing throu- _gck_ -!" Iron gravity wraps around his limbs, choking him. " _Please_ -" Bad whimpers.

"I asked a simple question."

The pressure eases slightly, allowing Bad to gather his breath for an answer. "I- I just want to make sure they stay safe!" He cries.

"Who? _Nemesis_?? They'll be fine. I ain't gonna kill them unless they try to cross us."

"I know." Bad pleads. "I know, but the Lucid Spider is out and looking for revenge."

Technoblade's eyes light up. He lifts his foot and yanks Bad to his feet. "The Lucid Spider, you say...?"

"Yes! He's going to kill me if he finds me, but there's not time, I have to warn the Spirits." Bad brushes himself off. He glances up just in time to see Technoblade hiding a smirk.

"Well, then. I've got some good news, then."

"Oh? Really?" Bad perks up hopefully.

Technoblade caresses the blade of his axe thoughtfully. "Good for me, that is. I'm not entirely sure how great it will work out for you, to be honest."

"Oh-" Bad shrinks away. "Please don't?"

"Alright. What'll I get if I let you go?"

Bad thinks for a moment. He doesn't have riches, or anything really. "Uh, the satisfaction of doing the right thing?"

"Heh." Technoblade laughs darkly. "I'm afraid that doesn't pay the bills. I can't have Quackity getting pissy cause I let a hostage go for having the moral high ground, now, can I." He raises his axe. "You're comin' with me."

Desperately, Bad kicks Technoblade in the gut. The Angel grabs his foot and twists, knocking Bad off balance. Bad shrieks as the axe slams down. It stops, hovering barely a centimeter away from the heartbeat pounding in Bad's throat. Technoblade scowls at Bad for a moment, then turns away and sheathes his axe. "Come on."

Bad shrinks back, trembling with terrified adrenaline. He wants to go home. He wants to return to Skeppy and Antfrost, his team, his friends.

He starts to draw the shadows to himself in the vain hopes of sneaking away, but he's yanked into the air by gravitational forces beyond his control, then slammed down again. Technoblade doesn't even glance back at him, doesn't say anything, merely waits as Bad regains his breath and struggles to his feet.

Badboyhalo looks over his shoulder at the nearest escape. Then he looks back at the Angel, who stretches his arms with a lazy yawn. He meekly follows his captor.

* * *

Antfrost and Skeppy search the bridges and alleys frantically for Bad. Skeppy gets increasingly more and more panicked as no traces are found. "What if Dream got him??" Skeppy cries. "That fucking bastard-" He bursts into tears. "Now Bad will never yell at me again!!"

Antfrost growls low in his throat. He's grown accustomed to teammates dying, but the loss still aches. "We will find Dream and make him pay."

"Ye-yeah!" Skeppy sobs. "I don't understand, how could Bad let himself be defeated??"

Antfrost shakes his head. "The goddamn muffinhead shoulda taken us with him."

"He didn't even tell us where he was going!!" Skeppy cries. "He could be literally anywhere!"

"I will try to look." Antfrost kneels on the cold bridge and clasps his hands together. His eyes snap open, blazing golden as his cyan phylactery floats up from the silver chain around his neck. Beams of light flare and dance around his body.

"Badboyhalo." He hums and Io hums with him. "I am Antfrost, Speaker for the Dead. I summon you. Badboyhalo!"

Skeppy stares at Antfrost, never failing to be amazed every time the former Spirit of Death taps into his lingering power. Antfrost's white and gold outfit glistens with diamond dew, setting off the cyan accents of the sharp holographic wings fluttering behind him.

"We can't find him." Punz murmurs through the invisible portal to Hel's gates.

"He's not here," Fundy confirms.

"We will search for him." Purpled promises.

Tears bead in Antfrost's eyes. He struggles to close the portal and cut off his power. His dead friends give him spectral hugs, then retreat once more to whatever afterlives they've chosen. His eyes flicker closed as he collapses weakly to the ironwood planks.

Skeppy wails as he picks up Antfrost. "Don't die!!"

"I'm not dead, you idiot." Antfrost snaps with his remaining strength. "Just, just let me rest."

Antfrost lets Skeppy carry him back to their team headquarters. Skeppy, dear Skeppy. Formerly Spirit of Life, until it was ripped from him. Badboyhalo, dear muffin, former Spirit of Dark, until he gave it up for Skeppy's life. Punz, Fundy, and Purpled were not so lucky. Antfrost senses his remaining reserves of magic. He's running too low. Just one more spell, and his own body could be torn apart by the forces nobody truly understands.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3 Hope y'all are enjoying this so far!! It's kinda a slow build plot-wise c: but that's fine. I'm trying to lean into a specific theme, too, because I realized while writing the summary that there's a definite trend towards a certain motif XD So, that'll be fun, hopefully. I really want this to be a good story!! 
> 
> Thanks y'all for reading!! Please consider leaving a comment about the story if you have any questions, concerns, or even just want to keysmash in gay panic XD I will answer every single comment. Love y'all <3


	5. Only Want To See Things Unseen

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: Violence, Magical Coercion, Soul Torture, Death (seriously, the last/third POV is kinda heavy, be careful)

Hannah Rose feigns cheer as Scythe Ranboo enters her and Ponk's living quarters. "Hey, Ranboo."

"Hey." Ranboo bobs his head to her, his hands full with a tray of food. The cat lounging on his shoulders yawns at Rose. He sets the tray down on the table.

"Who's that?"

"This is Enderchest." Ranboo perks up. "He and Enderpearl are my kitties."

Enderchest purrs, bumping his head against Ranboo's cheek. Rose's smile softens, slightly more genuine. "He's cute."

"Yeah! We found them as kittens last year, and Schlatt let me keep them!" Ranboo waggles happily.

"Oh." Rose's smile falls. "Ranboo, I'm dying."

"Huh?" His little, lost exclamation sounds almost wounded. "Why? Who's hurting you??"

"Schlatt is." Rose sighs, pouring all her helpless resignation into the soft huff.

"He- he wouldn't, he's got a plan for you both!" Ranboo smiles and tries to awkwardly pat Rose's shoulder. She flinches instinctively, and he backs away, hurt in his eyes. "Schlatt wouldn't hurt you, he said, he promised you'd be safe if you follow his orders."

"I can't survive without my alignment, Ranboo." Rose sniffles, her lip trembling. "My phylactery, it holds a phoenix feather inside. I need to touch it."

"I can't- I can't." Ranboo shakes his head frantically. "I can't, nope, not possible."

"Ranboo, I'm going to die! Please, just let me hold my soul, just once!" Rose wails, burying her head in her arms.

"I _really can't_." Ranboo hisses. "I would get in so much trouble, and that, wuh-oh, that would not be fun."

"Nobody has to know, Ranboo." Rose raises her head, pleading with watery eyes. She repeats his name again, to try to make some connection of sympathy, however slim. "Ranboo, please."

Ranboo groans and hides his head in his hands. "Nobody can know." He growls. " _Nobody_."

"Nobody has to know!" Rose nods quickly.

"I mean absolutely _nobody_ , Hannah Rose." Ranboo repeats, fixing Rose with a stern stare.

"Absolutely nobody, cross my heart." Rose makes the proper accompanying gesture, hope blooming in her pulse.

"Fine." Ranboo flicks his hand in the air and Rose's phylactery rolls around his fingers. Rose squints at him, unable to figure out if he's just messing around with contact juggling or actually using magic. "One minute, that's all."

Rose reaches for the proffered soul. "That's all I need." She takes it and power pours back into her limbs. "I'm so sorry, Ranboo."

Ranboo's eyes widen with comedic shock as she raises her fists, which blaze with fire. He manages to dodge her first flurry of punches, slipping Enderchest off his shoulders to keep the cat safe.

"Wait!" He cries, but leaves himself open, and Rose takes the chance. She knocks him back into the wall with an uppercut. The flames catch on his suit and he rolls frantically to put them out. "Rose-"

Hannah Rose looms over Ranboo, merciless hatred burning in her eyes. Her phylactery sparkles orange and settles above her chest, igniting the latent power in her heart. Her heel slams down into his gut. Ranboo chokes, flinching futilely as the flames catch. Rose yanks him up by his jacket lapels. "Why aren't you fighting back??"

Ranboo looks over Rose's shoulder. "Ponk, please, make her stop!"

Ponk, having just stomped out of his bedroom from a nice nap, grins and gives Rose a thumbs-up. "Good work, friend!"

"Thanks, man." Rose smirks and slams Ranboo into the wall. "Fight back, you bastard, or I'll kill you without hesitation."

Ranboo shrinks. "I- I can't." He mumbles. "Orders. I'm not allowed to hurt either of you." He winces upon admitting it, expecting a blow.

"Perfect." Rose bares her teeth as brilliantly flaming wings bloom from her back. "Who has Ponk's phylactery??"

"I don't know!" He's lying.

"I think Scythe Tubbo has it." Ponk approaches Ranboo and Rose. "We could use this one as a hostage."

"Ponk, get the cat." Rose has a plan.

"Don't hurt Enderchest, he's innocent!" Ranboo snarls, showing a flare of anger for the first time.

"We won't hurt your kitty, unless you disobey us." Rose smiles sweetly. "You're going to get Ponk's phylactery from Tubbo, and then you're going to come back and give it to us. If you don't, your cat dies."

Ponk keeps chasing Enderchest, tripping over the carpet. "I can't catch him!"

Rose twists to laugh at her friend. "Get good!" But when she looks back to where Ranboo was, he's gone. "Huh? What the hell??" Her fists clench. "You can't hide, Ranboo, we're going to kill your cat if you don't listen."

"That's your mistake." Ranboo appears, clinging to the ceiling and baring his fangs with a furious gleam in his eyes. He pounces, spinning in midair as his feet lash out at Rose.

She blocks his first kick with her arms, but his other boot catches her in the ribs, bowling her over. Fire rages from Rose's limbs as she leaps to her feet. "Oh, now you fight!" She laughs wildly, her flaming wings flaring wide. "Come on, let's see if you're a match!"

Ranboo ducks her fists, then catches her ankle when she tries to kick him again. He twists, throwing her to the ground. Rose keeps laughing, delighting in the thrill of battle. She rolls to her feet and dives back into the fight with tight punches and springing leaps.

"What the fuck is going on??" Tubbo appears in the doorway as the hatch slides open, with Tommy right behind him. "Ranboo, what are you doing??"

Enderchest springs out of the suite, fleeing Ponk. Rose and Ranboo watch each other warily, silently agreeing to a hesitant truce.

"Ranboo!" Tubbo snaps, and Ranboo ducks his head bashfully. "Schlatt said to not hurt them."

"They tried to hurt Enderchest," Ranboo protests.

"Why does Hannah Rose have her powers back?"

"I- She stole it." Ranboo lies, shuffling uncomfortably. "She stole it from me."

Rose considers his plight for a moment. "I tricked him into giving my phylactery back." She smirks as Ranboo wilts from Tubbo's withering glare.

"Ranboo, we are going to have words later." Tubbo turns to Rose. "Do you want us to put you both back in the cell??"

"No!" Rose raises her hands in surrender. She can't take all three Scythes, especially since Ponk doesn't have his powers back. "I've learned my lesson. No more escape attempts."

"Somehow I doubt that." Tubbo says with a gleaming smile. "Please, do try again." The several bees chained to his epaulets buzz menacingly.

"I'll keep it in mind." Rose shrugs placatingly.

"Give me the phylactery." Tubbo holds out his hand. Rose presses her fingers to her chest, where her soul pulses.

"Fine." She sighs after glancing back at Ponk. If she refused, they'd only take it out on him. Reluctantly, she gives Tubbo her phylactery. He pockets it. Her power leaks away, chased by a wave of exhaustion.

Rose forces herself to remain standing, _show no weakness_ , until the Scythes have left. Tommy remains in the door last, the exo-jaws keeping him silent, but his glare is expressive enough. He makes an " _I'm watching you_ " gesture, then spins and storms out. 

As soon as the hatch closes, Hannah curses weakly and collapses onto the bench.

"We'll get out of here." Ponk sits down beside her. "We will. I promise."

She hears the hard note of suppressed anger behind his encouragement. Neither of them have been communicating about escape plans. This attempt was completely improvised, and it went terribly. She laughs quietly. "Let's try your plan next."

* * *

Sam has remained sullenly silent about the identity of his other employer. He's remained silent on most matters, actually, which is concerning. Puffy can't help worrying about the other members of the team, as well as him.

Today, Niki and Eret have gone out for a fun friend-date of shopping and exploring the new park isle downtown. Jack wanted to go with, but has to run his cafe. After an awkward hour of bored silence, Foolish left to run errands, leaving Puffy alone with Sam.

Puffy flicks through her social medias on her scroll, utterly bored. She glances at Sam as he stands abruptly. Sam doesn't look at her, instead staring at the door with conflict raging in his eyes. "Puffy, leave." He hisses, broken desperation in his voice.

"Why? Sam, what's going on??" Puffy rises, reaching for the scimitar hung on the wall.

"Leave, now!!" Sam cries. "Please, get out of here. Go to Niki, keep her safe."

"Sam, I need to keep everyone safe. Including you! Tell me what the hell is going on, and let me help you!" The scimitar fits well in her hand, the blade perfectly balanced.

Tears well in his eyes as he backs away from the door. "Puffy, please. Don't trust me, just get out. I'm done for, Puffy, there's nothing you can do for me. Save the others." He lets out a shuddering sigh, looking down. "Dream is coming, Puffy. He wants Niki. You can't let him take her. Don't let him near her, because if he gets what he wants, everything is lost."

"Sam, you idiot, you can't just tell me something like that and expect me to leave you to whoever the fuck Dream is!!" Puffy snaps.

A knock raps on the door. Sam flinches, then spins to slam his hands on the counter. "Please. Leave now."

Puffy hesitates, conflicted. "I'll be back." She promises, making her choice. The door shudders from a kick. Puffy goes to the window in the back bedroom and climbs out onto the sill. There's a bridge ten feet below her.

She lets go and lands cat-like as the bridge rocks from the force of her landing. The distant door crashes inwards.

Puffy doesn't look back. She flips open her scroll as she runs, and calls up Eret.

* * *

Dream waits patiently as Sapnap kicks the door in. When it splinters and flies off the hinges, he steps forward, ducking inside the apartment.

"Hello, Sam." Dream beckons George and Karl to follow him. They flank Sam as he backs into the wall. Sapnap stands by the broken door, holding a couple throwing knives loosely at the ready.

"Hello, Dream." Sam smiles apprehensively, surrounded. "What do you need?"

"Hmm. I think you know why I'm here." Dream gestures to the table. "Your weapons."

Sam sighs and draws his flamberge from a pocket of darkness in his cloak. The heavy wavy sword thunks onto the table.

"That all?" Dream asks, keeping his tone mockingly mild.

"Yes, sir." Sam replies. Dream examines him for signs of dishonesty, before nodding in satisfaction.

"Alright. Where's your phylactery?"

Sam tenses, staring at Dream with horror in his sky-blue eyes. "I- I don't- please, Dream..."

Dream hardens his voice. "Give it to me. Now."

Sam winces and wilts under Dream's stern stare. He reaches haltingly for his own chest. Cyan light blazes through his fingers as he clenches his trembling hand around the sphere of liquid fire rising from his heart.

The phylactery glitters in his hand as he tremulously offers it to Dream. "Good." Dream takes Sam's soul in his hands of hard-light. "George, Karl?" He turns to his servants. "You've never seen this before, have you."

"Seen what?" George yawns. "Can't we just kill the damn double-crosser and be done with him??"

"I still have use for Sam." Dream beckons Sapnap closer. "Sapnap, you know, don't you."

"Yep." Sapnap grins viciously at Sam.

Sam pleads, fear cracking his voice. "Dream, please don't do this, I've been loyal to you!"

"Oh, Sam." Dream inspects the phylactery, noting the cracks already formed in the branches of silver holding the cyan plasma together. "You got in my way. I'm just ensuring you never disobey me again."

Dream forces a sharp neon claw into the fire, cracking the soul open as it leaks golden ichor. Sam gasps, clasping one hand to his shoulder, crimson blood blooming from between his fingers and permeating through his shirt.

"You're going to be my Angel, Sam." Dream hums gently. "What kind of Angel do you want to be?"

"Please, Dream-" Sam sobs. "Don't do this!"

Dream clenches his claws around the phylactery. Bright ribbons of cyan and gold plasma break free from the soul as broken screams tear from Sam's lungs. "I think you'll be my Angel of Love. That sounds fitting enough, doesn't it, my beloved Sam." Dream mocks Sam with the endearment.

Sam yells, the cries morphing, becoming more enraged than agonized. His hand clasps in the darkness of his cloak and he draws a stiletto knife. Dream notices mere moments too late as Sam plunges the dagger into his own heart and crumples to the ground.

"George!!" Dream barks, furious at the defiance. "Heal him!"

"He just stabbed himself, I don't think he wants to be healed."

"Just do it!!" Dream snarls, shattering the soul in his fist.

George stares at him. "You just killed him, man. What was that supposed to even do??"

"He's not supposed to _die_ , that would be too easy!" Dream paces. "Just heal him before it's too late."

"Okay, Dream." George laughs lightly. Karl watches the almost-dead Sam in horrified shock. Sapnap watches Dream with a grim smile.

"Are you sure it'll be enough to bind him?" Sapnap dares to question.

"It has to be." Dream collects the floating shards of the phylactery.

George looks up at Dream. "I did my best, but I think he's dead."

"Place him here." Dream orders. Karl helps George flop the limp body over the table. Standing over him, the Lucid Spider weaves crimson webs around the shards, binding them together, pouring his power into the strings. "Each of you are mine. My handiwork. Sapnap, my Angel of Unity. Sam, my Angel of Love."

Dream doesn't miss the way Karl and George share apprehensive glances. Laughing, he continues, "Even you, Karl, and you, George, will be my Angels someday. You'd like that, right? You want to be my loyal family, right?"

"Y-yeah, of course, Dream." George hastily pastes a smile on his face.

"Good. Watch, now, as I raise my brother from the pit of oblivion." Dream holds the shattered and re-woven soul carefully in his claws. He glances at each of his small family. _His_. They're all his. The speech served both as a warning and an incantation.

Pressing the phylactery back into Sam's heart, Dream pours his will into the mended soul. It sinks into Sam, infusing his body with gentle, crimson light.

Sam's body remains limp on the table. He shows no sign of returning to life. Dream waits hopefully for a moment, then curses as Sam remains stubbornly, utterly dead.

Furious shrieks tear through the night as a flaming scimitar pierces through Dream's chestplate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :) End of Part One.
> 
> Sapnap looks like a regular Human, but he is in fact Dream's first Angel. The process was scuffed when Dream attempted it with him, so he only has half his soul now and no Fae Form. 
> 
> Also, I changed the tags and summary in the hopes that more people will read and interact with this fic. I'm kinda disappointed that so far only one (1) person (Hope my beloved, thank you) has been commenting.  
> The quality, I think, is on par with my former fic "Korosensei Never Dies", but far behind it in terms of hits and interaction, and the only difference I think that has been causing this discrepancy is that this fic focuses a lot more on the less popular members of the Dream SMP, particularly the women.


	6. Bonus: Magical Alignments

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hey, y'all!! Part One ended with a cliffhanger, I do realize, sorry bout that ;p BUT I have an awesome bonus here for you, a concise explanation of the Magic System!!
> 
> You can feel free to skip this chapter if you'd rather just figure out the system as you read, but if you like having all the info put together in one spot for easy viewing, this is the chapter for you!!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Aligned (All Systems)

**HEX System:**

Hexes are aligned to Aspects. Each Aspect is a dialectic of Willpower.

Hexes are the weakest of the five levels. Most can only use one spell out of the three to four spell types available to each Aspect. Twenty percent of the population on Io has been born with Hex power, and of those, one percent can utilize more than one spell.

Fae Forms are rare, but can be reached by coming extremely close to burning out. If the Hex does not burn out, they'll instead unlock a second wind, along with a new form. Most Hexes' Fae Forms are pure glamours, usually only altering outfits, sometimes adding wings, and rarely adding other bestial features.

 **_Aspects_ ** _:_

Patience <~> Bravery

Integrity <~> Perseverance

Kindness <~> Justice

Individuality <~> Adaptability

**_Spell Types:_ **

**Patience** | **_Cyan_** : teleportation, invisiblity, telepathy

 **Bravery** | **_Orange_** : fire, physical enhancement, pain reduction, buff active spells

 **Integrity** | **_Indigo_** : gravity manipulation, damage reduction/damage increase, nerf passive spells

 **Perseverance** | **_Purple_** : construct creation, poison imbuing, regeneration, buff passive spells

 **Kindness** | **_Green_** : healing, holographic barrier manipulation, life attunement, nerf active spells

 **Justice** | **_Yellow_** : lightning/electricity channeling, light manipulation, sense truth

 **Individuality** | **_Red_** : ferrous manipulation, charm, refuse to alter state (e.g. refuse death, refuse damage, refuse sensory manipulation)

 **Adaptability** | **_Brown_** : liquid manipulation, state alteration, illusions, shape-shifting (rare)

* * *

**PATRON System:**

Patrons are aligned with a Kind. This Kind can be an animal, a plant, or a geographical landmark such as a mountain or river. Patrons make up two percent of the population of Io. Of this two percent, sixty percent also have Hex powers.

This alignment can be manifested temporarily and grants the Patron powers relating to their Kind. Side effects are common, but wear off when the Patron releases the manifestation.

If a Patron keeps manifesting their alignment for too long, they often can morph into their Fae Form, granting them a second wind of power. When they release the manifestation, it will take a day or two for the Fae Form to wear off, and the Patron will be physically and magically exhausted for weeks afterward.

If a Patron also has a Hex power, then they have the ability to pour their own soul into a phylactery. The phylactery allows them a focus to more easily control and enhance their own power. However, if their soul is not in physical contact with the Patron's flesh, all powers will be cut off.

Officials of the Chiaroscuro Empire are chosen only from the ranks of Patrons with phylacteries.

* * *

**ANGEL System:**

Angels are aligned to Ideals, similarly to how Patrons are aligned to Kinds. However, Angels do not come about naturally. They are created via the shattering and remolding of their soul by a God. When they are remolded, they are trapped permanently in their Fae Form, and their life and loyalty is bound to the God that made them.

Angels can be created willingly or unwillingly. Most of the time, Gods will break souls already about to die, granting them new life. Souls are more easily accessed through phylacteries, so most Angels are former Hex-Patrons. 

Angels do not age, do not need normal Human necessities, and regenerate any wounds at an unnatural rate. Most lose their Patron and/or Hex powers after becoming an Angel, but a very few retain enough Willpower to keep and even strengthen their old powers.

The full manifestation of an Angel's Ideal is rare to see. Most Angels survive on a mere tenth of their potential, but their power increases when they cross whatever barriers holding them back from spiritual completion.

* * *

**SPIRIT System:**

The six Spirits are reincarnations of the deceased Dragons, and are each aligned to one of six Elemental Concepts. They are able to use Hex and Patron powers, but can also access power relating to their Elemental Concept. Spirits grow in strength as their Willpower increases.

Spirits can enter and exit their Fae Form at will. It is unknown and as of yet untested whether a Spirit with a phylactery can be successfully turned into an Angel. And if it were successful, there's no telling whether the Spirit would be truly bound to their God in the same way as regular Angels.

_** Elemental Concepts:  ** _

Life <~> Death

Fire <~> Ice

Light <~> Dark

* * *

**GOD System:**

Gods are aligned to Realms. They are the embodiment and personification of their Realm as permanent manifestations. Their power ebbs and flows for different causes and reasonings, precipitating into reality before condensating and returning to the Gods as the Aligned use their powers.

It is currently unknown how the Gods came to be.

* * *

**CHARACTER ALIGNMENTS**

**_Nemesis Inc.  
_****\- Niki Nihachu** : Spirit of Death, Hex of Kindness  
**\- Captain Puffy** : Spirit of Fire, Hex of Justice  
**\- Jack Manifold** : Spirit of Light, Hex of Perseverance, Patron of Evergreens   
**\- FoolishG** : Spirit of Life, Hex of Individuality, Patron of Sharks  
**\- Eret** : Spirit of Ice, Hex of Integrity  
**\- Awesamdude** : Spirit of Dark, Hex of Patience, Patron of Dogs

 _ **Pax Triumvirs  
**_**\- Technoblade** : Angel of Wrath, Hex of Integrity, Patron of Chrysaors  
**\- Quackity** : Angel of Fear, Hex of Bravery, Patron of Ducks  
**\- Wilbur Soot** : Angel of Deceit, Hex of Kindness  
**\- Philza** : Hel’s Acolyte, Demi-God; married to the Goddess of Death herself

 _ **Chiaroscuro Empire  
**_**\- Schlatt** : unAligned  
**\- Ranboo** : Patron of Cats, Hex of Individuality  
**\- Tubbo** : Patron of Bees, Hex of Integrity  
**\- Tommyinnit** : Patron of Flowers, Hex of Kindness

 ** _Cosmic Knights  
_****\- Hannahxxrose** : Patron of Phoenixes, Hex of Bravery  
**\- Ponk** : Patron of Dragons, Hex of Adaptability

 ** _Defenders of Hope  
_****\- Sapnap** : Angel of Unity, Patron of Wolves, Hex of Justice  
**\- Karl** : Patron of Penguins  
**\- George** : Patron of Sparrows, Hex of Kindness  
**\- Dream | Lucid Spider | [Redacted]** : God of Beauty and Purity

 ** _Muffinheads  
_****\- Badboyhalo** : Former Spirit of Dark, Hex of Kindness  
**\- Antfrost** : Former Spirit of Death, Hex of Patience  
**\- Skeppy** : Former Spirit of Life, Hex of Perseverance, Patron of Deserts  
**_\- (deceased)_ Punz**: Former Spirit of Fire  
**_\- (deceased)_ Purpled**: Former Spirit of Ice  
**_\- (deceased)_ Fundy**: Former Spirit of Light

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Extra-Bonus Fact: The Willpower Aspects are based entirely off of the seven soul types of Undertale (yes, I added one, bite me). I hammered out the Hex system years ago and simply never used it, so I figured it could be fun to build off of it in this story as a semi-original system. 
> 
> A real chapter will be posted tomorrow!! Expect another bonus after Part Two ends!! <3 love y'all
> 
> If you think my style could benefit from a bit more exposition, or anything I could work on, really, please feel free to let me know!!


	7. Crystal Flowers Choosing To Glitter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> CW: violent auditory hallucinations, threatened torture, kidnapping, manipulation
> 
> Note: I am schizophrenic and have violent auditory hallucinations/intrusive thoughts myself, so I understand it better than most. C!Technoblade is not controlled by his voices, and they do not force him into violence. C!Technoblade chooses violence, uncoerced. Please do not be ableist; do not say that the voices make him violent.
> 
> Edit: altered the last few sentences of Techno's POV, nothing really that important, just a couple details that were bothering me

"You demanded a ransom, right??" Quackity trots behind Technoblade, a petulant frown darkening his glamour's face.

"Get outta here, of course I did." Technoblade growls, hand gravitating to his axe with a subtle warning for Quackity to stop annoying him. "This Lucid Spider, or whoever he is, he ain't easy to get ahold of."

The persistent ringing in his ears sounds like whispers, like screams: _Blood- kill- blood for the blood god- eeeeee-_

"Techno, I want to talk to our captive." Quackity demands, continuing to follow Techno through the darkened halls of the mansion. _Kill him-_

Crude murals show up more often as Techno descends deeper. He pauses in front of the expressively colorful words stylishly sprayed across the entire wall. "Quackity, I'm not sure this is what Phil meant when he said he wanted to redecorate." _EEEEEE- loser- loser- nerd- Philza pog-_

Quackity lets out his signature nervous giggle. "The fuck you mean, nobody ever comes down here!"

"Whatever." Techno shrugs, letting it go. _Blood- idiot- blood for the blood god- eeeee-_ He really doesn't care what Quackity wants to do in his spare time, as long as he's not being annoying. Like he currently is doing. "So, how long are you gonna follow me?"

"Until you fucking show me where your captive is!" Quackity crows. _EEEE-_ _Blood for the blood god-_

"Or I could just punt you into the ceilin' and be long gone before you recover." Technoblade rolls the attractive option around in his mind, considering the appeal from multiple angles. On one hand, violence. _Blood- blood- blood_ \- On the other hand, he did swear to Philza that he would attempt to _not_ punt his teammates as a first resort. On the third hand, are pinky-promises really that binding? On the fourth hand, _Philza pog_.

Quackity shows a modicum of intelligence by remaining silent while Technoblade thinks about maiming and whether or not the fun would be worth pissing Phil off. It's gotten so _boring_ around here since the preparations began for the hired coup. Phil and Wilbur have both been so busy.

"Alright, you know what?" Technoblade lands on a satisfactory compromise. "I'm goin' to torture some info out of our captive. You can watch if you wanna, but if you annoy me too much, I can't guarantee your physical wellbein'." _EEE- blood- kill-_

Quackity does his little nervous laugh again. "Fuck, how am I supposed to know if I'm annoying you?"

Technoblade disguises a chuckle as an awkward cough in his hand. "If you're makin' noises with your mouth, then it's a safe bet." Quackity shuts up, his jaws audibly clicking.

Ahh, peace and quiet. _EEEEE-_ Technoblade strolls deeper into the mansion, down to the room he stored his captive. Quackity continues to tag along in the pensive quiet. _Kill him-_

Upon reaching the door standing between himself and his captive, Technoblade politely raps on the heavy wood before unlocking it and swinging it open.

The captive glares at him, sitting in a chair with their arms crossed petulantly. Techno never bound or gagged them, figuring they wouldn't be able to escape the mansion even if they managed to somehow escape the securely locked room. "Why, hello." He hums. _Blood for the blood god-_

"Let me go." They demand.

"Uhh, no." Technoblade smiles at them. They shrink back in fear. _Rip- rip- rip- EEEE-_ "I think you know who I am, but I have no clue who the heck you are."

"Badboyhalo. He/him." Bad grumbles. "My friends are looking for me. They'll kick your ass."

"Mhm, mhm, and who are these friends?" Technoblade draws his axe and leans against the wall to nonchalantly sharpen it with a whetstone. _Blood for the blood god-_

Bad hesitates, gulping. "You- you can't hurt them, you- you absolute muffin, so don't even try."

Technoblade refrains from guffawing at the substitute curse. "You know, you could just call me an asshole, and it would be more accurate."

Bad opens his mouth to protest the language, then glances at the axe and hastily closes it again. Quackity cocks his head, watching Bad with a curious look. "Hey, you're the fucking leader of the Muffinheads, aren't you?"

Bad glances fearfully at Technoblade, who gestures for him to answer. "I was, but we're technically disbanded."

"Fucking hell, I know you guys." Quackity laughs brightly. "You're that damn holier-than-thou bitch!"

"Language!!" Bad shrieks. "I am not!!"

"Quackity, this reunion is great an' all, but I'm bored and I want _blood_. If I can't take it out on him, well, you're the next best option." Technoblade hums without looking up from the blade of his axe as he scrapes the whetstone along the keen edge. _Blood- blood- loser- nerd- EEEE- kill-_

"Eheh, sorry, sorry, I'll let you torture him." Quackity retreats to the corner and plops down onto the lone cot.

Bad shrinks as Techno lowers the axe to pin him with a withering scowl. "Alright, who are your friends?" _Blood- friendless- loser- loser- rip- Shut up, nerds._

"I- I won't tell you." Bad growls. "Torture me all you want, but I won't betray them."

Technoblade shrugs, ignoring the ringing as the voices scream. "K. What's your connection to Nemesis?"

Bad sticks his tongue out. The immature brat Quackity giggles, but shuts up when Techno shoots him with a stern glare. _Cute- cute- protect- kill- blood-_

"Mmkay. You're memorizing these questions, right?"

"Why would I do that??"

"Who is the Lucid Spider?" Technoblade moves on. It's Bad's funeral if he wants to play this the hard way. _Kill- kill- EEEEE- KILL-_

"God of purity." Bad actually replies to this one. Admittedly, the information is next to useless and most likely inaccurate, but it's something.

Technoblade notices Quackity rocking back and forth with nervous energy. "Quackity, you're notin' all this down, yeah?"

"Y-yeah!" Quackity hastily rummages in his knapsack for writing supplies.

"Good. Bad, gonna ask one more question before I start breakin' bones. What does the Lucid Spider want?"

"He wants to redesign the universe." Bad cries, proving his complete and utter lack of loyalty to whomever the Lucid Spider is. "We fought him years ago, we killed him, but someone's released him and now he's after the Cosmos Heart again! Please, we have to stop him!"

 _EEEE-_ Technoblade's ears prick up, intrigued. "Redesign the universe, you say? With what magic? What is this Cosmos Heart thing?"

"It's just an old myth." Quackity scoffs. _Kill- kill- kill- idiot- rip- eeee-_

"Y-yeah, it's a myth, haha, silly muffins, I was just lying!" Bad retracts hastily, lying through his teeth as he comes to realize his deadly mistake. _RIP- blood for the blood god- blood for the blood god- BLOOD-_

"Quackity, leave." Technoblade shifts from the wall to loom over Bad. "You shouldn't see this."

Quackity hops to his feet, then lingers, hesitating. "Don't you need me to write stuff down?"

"We're not gonna get anything useful from him." Technoblade lies as he ruffles Quackity's hair with a light cuff. "Get outta here."

He waits till Quackity has left the room. Bad stares at him with terror apparent in his eyes, yet brashly tries to cover it up with bravado. "I- I won't tell you anything."

"Mmm, you think that will make any difference?" Amused, Technoblade tilts Bad's chin up with the blade of the axe. "You wanna know something, Bad? I hear _so many_ voices. And right now, they're all screamin' for one thing." 

Badboyhalo tenses in fearful apprehension, but continues to meet Techno's hard gaze. "What's that?" 

"Blood for the Blood God." Technoblade hisses the thrilling chant. _Blood- kill- blood for the blood god- kill- EEEE-_ He  removes the axe and plops onto the cot, leaning back against the wall. "But I'm not unreasonable. I'll even give you a choice. Fight me for your freedom and die, or tell me everything you know about the Cosmos Heart and live." 

* * *

Hot tears streak down Puffy's cheeks as she rips her scimitar from the neon bastard's body. Her team has taken down his companions, their rage palpable in every eye and breath. "What the fuck have you done??"

"Puffy?" The pale wurm inside its armor of hard-light glances past her to Niki. Puffy shifts to block him from her.

"That's me. Who're you?"

"...You used to call me Dream."

 _Duckling, what happened to you-_ Puffy shakes her head, shoving aside the flickers of lost memory. "What the hell have you done to Sam??"

"Oh. He died." Dream responds with a flippant sigh. "But it's not too late to heal him."

"Let me see." Niki says in her stern voice. Business-mode.

"I already tried to heal him." The goggles man, currently pinned against the wall by Foolish, complains.

"Shut up, George." Dream retorts. "Let her try."

Puffy doesn't stop Niki from going to the table, where Sam lays, his clothes soaked in blood. She holds her scimitar at the ready, prepared to slice through the wurm.

Green fire pours into Sam. His body glows with the force of the healing flames as they scour through him.

Gasping awake, Sam coughs, curling in on himself. "Sam!!" Puffy cries, shoving Dream aside. She yanks him into a strong hug, then helps him sit down in a chair. "Sam, who are these fuckers??"

Sam stares at her with blank horror in his gaze. "I- I died."

"I know you did, honey." Puffy hugs him again as more tears blur her vision.

"How sweet." Dream chuckles behind her. "We'll be taking our leave now."

Sam struggles to his feet, gripping Puffy's shoulder to help himself up. "Sam, you should sit down, you're tired."

"Puffy." Niki's voice trembles. Puffy looks up and her blood runs cold. Dream has her by the arm, a dagger to her throat.

"Let her go!" Eret snaps, taking their attention off of the two enemies they were holding at gunpoint.

"Mm, nah. I have a better idea. You can keep Sam, and I'll keep this one."

"Release me!" Niki snarls, kicking at her captor. Dream only sighs, unbothered by her flailing attempts.

Foolish looks between Niki and Puffy helplessly. His captive, George, laughs at him.

Puffy stands up, raising her hands. "Dream, please. Let Niki go."

"Let my men go and I'll think about it."

Puffy gestures to Eret and Foolish, who both step away from their captives. Eret clears their throat awkwardly as one of the enemies mocks them under his breath. Puffy glares at Dream's holographic face, which glows with an eery smiley. "Okay, Dream. Your turn."

"Sapnap." Dream turns to one of the men Eret had been threatening. "What do you think?"

Sapnap grins and shrugs. "We could've easily won if you hadn't ordered us to keep them alive. I don't see why we can't just take her."

Puffy gasps angrily, "That's not fair, you can't just kidnap her!"

"I'm a _God_ , Puffy, I decide what's fair." Dream laughs, dragging Niki back a step, towards the broken door. Sapnap, George, and the third enemy all move to join Dream.

"Heh??" Behind Dream, a massive shadowy figure snorts in confusion. "What's with this party goin' on, here?"

"Technoblade, we are your allies, help us!" Niki snaps in desperation. Puffy remains rooted to the floor.

"Techno??" Dream laughs wildly. "You idiots, Techno works for me!"

"Who are you, again?" Technoblade wonders with a mocking smile in his voice. 

"You know who I am! I'm paying you!"

"That doesn't really narrow it down. I've never met you before." Technoblade hums and pushes Dream further into the apartment as he ducks through the door. "Mmm, why don't you let my employees go."

"Y-your employees?" Dream falters. "Techno, I'm paying you trillions. Don't get in my way."

"Hey, Niki." Technoblade nods to Niki, who nods back in stunned silence. "I talked with my team, and we decided Nemesis Inc.'s desired pay rate is adequate, but your livin' conditions don't seem to be the safest, so we'd like to offer some rooms at our headquarters."

"Thank you, Techno." Niki says calmly, despite still being trapped by the dagger at her throat.

"Technoblade, get out of my way!" Dream cries. "I will fire you!"

"Will you, now? What's your name, again?"

"Dream!"

"Mmm. I don't recall bein' paid trillions of bullion credits by some rando named _Dream_. Cringe." Technoblade takes Dream's holographic arm and removes the dagger. Freed, Niki steps away and stands next to Techno. Dream doesn't fight, frozen helplessly, unsure of what to do. "Get outta here before I start breakin' bones, or whatever the fuck you're made of."

"I'll- I'll double your pay, Techno!!"

"Mmm, lemme think about it. I'll have to discuss this with my team. In the meantime, I'd prefer if you didn't threaten my employees."

"Fine, if I can't have Niki, I'll just keep Sam!" Dream snarls. "Sam, come here."

Puffy shakes her head, "No, no, no, Sam, stay."

Sam hesitates, staring at Dream, conflicted.

"Sam technically counts as one of my employees, ain't that right, Niki?" Technoblade muses, coming to the rescue.

"Yes!" Niki nods hastily. "He is an important part of Nemesis Inc.! We can not let him go."

"See, Dream? I kinda need my employees for this job I'm currently doin'. Ehh, what was it again? Oh yeah, takin' down the Chiaroscuro Empire. Some dude named the _Lucid Spider_ is payin' us trillions for this job, and I'm not about to let you get in the way of that."

Dream stares at Technoblade with his unreadable glowing smiley, as the Wurm inside curls and twists. "I see. Alright, then, Techno, they're yours."

"That they are." Technoblade replies, dark laughter behind the nearly-monotone voice. "Get outta here, Dream."

Dream raises his claws in defeat. "Okay, okay. I'll, uh, see you later, Niki."

"Later is eons too soon." Niki snaps back. "I hope you rot, Dream."

"Ironic, coming from you." Dream shrugs and leaves the apartment, followed by his three lackeys.

"Heh." Technoblade chuckles. "Too bad they didn't try to fight back."

"Thank you for saving us, Techno." Niki says shakily, hugging herself.

"I believe there were six of you. Where's, uhhh, Jack?"

"He's at his cafe." Puffy responds blankly, lost in a sea of confusing emotions that she doesn't have time to process.

"Mkay. Jeez, y'all live in these conditions?" Techno scans the apartment, then looks over each of Puffy's team. "How about we give y'all an advance, which you can use to get new clothes, get nice equipment, so forth."

"That sounds lovely, thank you." Niki speaks for Puffy, who can barely make noises with her mouth anymore as she's overwhelmed by the baffling events.

"I'll give you the coordinates to our base via scroll tomorrow." Technoblade holds out his scroll, and Niki taps her own to it in order to form a link so he can contact her. "I actually came here to tell you to watch out for this Dream fellow, heh, looks like I was almost too late."

"Ohh, um, well, I'm glad you got here before he succeeded in kidnapping me." Niki laughs lightly.

Technoblade nods tersely. "Welp, that's my job done, then. Come to HQ within a week, and we'll start prepping for the coup."

"Of course." Niki waves goodbye. Techno nods to her, then ducks out of the door and once more disappears into the shadows. As he vanishes, Niki turns to Puffy and sweeps her up in a tight embrace. "Puffy, I was so terrified!!"

"Me too, sweetie." Puffy giggles hysterically. "Everyone okay?"

"I died." Sam repeats quietly.

"I think we're all doing terribly, Puffy." Eret replies.

"I don't think anything about this whole thing is okay." Foolish agrees with the sentiment.

Puffy giggles and giggles, until she's desperately sobbing into Niki's shoulder. "What the actual fuck, what the fuck is going on??"

Niki holds Puffy and hums softly against her hair. "We should tell Jack we're still alive. He's probably seen your messages by now, he'll be worried sick."

Puffy nods miserably. Sam died. Niki was almost kidnapped. The bastard Dream seems so damn familiar but she _can't remember_. So much went wrong tonight, and that's not even taking into account the weird way Technoblade helped them without question. He's got to have some ulterior motivation for protecting them. She can't trust anyone but her own team. 

Eret and Foolish help Sam to the beanbag floof, then Eret starts laying out cards to distract him with a game as Foolish makes popcorn. Niki carries Puffy to the sofa and sits down with her, then turns on a show. Jack arrives at the small apartment later, and quietly fixes the door before joining in the card game. He doesn't question what happened, as Niki already updated him via scroll.

The forced normality hurts with the juxtaposition of the terrible night, but Puffy clings to the distractions. She can't let her team be ripped apart. This is all she has.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> <3
> 
> heh heh heh
> 
> sorry for the late chapter!! I slept almost the whole day yesterday XD and I barely got any writing done, so I had to finish this chapter up today instead. 
> 
> I _might_ get the next chapter out later tonight, but don't depend on it ;p EDIT: this aged poorly lol I might have to skip pie day cause I'm having a bit of a rough night. I'll try to get it done before midnight but no promises <3
> 
> AN: This work isn't actually doing too badly in terms of hits and kudos, but those are just numbers. I don't really care about those. I care more for reader interaction and feedback! So please, if you are enjoying this story, please drop a comment C: I always reply.

**Author's Note:**

> :3 thanks for reading <3
> 
> Feedback is encouraged!! Questions, gay keysmashes, any and all discussion, I will love and reply to all of it!!


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